Opportunity is what happens when your plans fall through...

I've pretty much decided to go back to school. I know that I have toyed with this decision for the past year or so, but I think that unfortunate circumstances are pushing me towards it again. I don't really have anywhere to move up in the teaching field right now and going to school for my Master's in teaching is a lost cause. I'll never make the money I deserve and for the next few years at least I'll live in fear of losing my job.

This summer I'll start by taking a few science classes and I'll keep on until Spring of '10. At that time, I'll apply for the accelerate RN program at UCF. I already talked with the advisor and it looks like I could be completely finished 15 months after that. So we're talking Fall 2011. It was a hard decision to make because that puts me at finishing school at 29. No children until then. No children until early 30's actually. But at least when we do... I'll have a career that's in demand. I'll be able to find a good job and not worry about having to lose it.

Life is so confusing sometimes. I think I'm on the right path and that I've found a career I'm good at. I feel like I'm naturally a good teacher. I just know how to deal with children. It's not something that was taught to me, I just feel it. But now that's all been pulled out from under me. My chances of leaving Engelwood are 0% and even if I could suck it up and stay at there... the stress of working with this population of difficult children is really taking a toll on my body. The creativity and joy of teaching has been taken away and the children are suffering for it. I don't believe in what I see... and I can't support something I don't believe in.

I'm excited about the prospects of being a student again. I feel like this might be my chance to repair some of the mistakes that I made as an undergrad. I was completely unprepared to be a serious student at 18, and now I feel more confident and infinitely more motivated.

Here's what the schedule will look like:

Summer '09 - Human Nutrition, Chemistry and Lab
Fall '09 - Anatomy, Microbiology, Sociology
Spring '10 - Physiology, Statistics, Developmental Psych
Fall '10 - Enter RN program... finish 15 months later

Here's to hoping things will look up for me.